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Tuesday, June 6, 2017

What Dad Really Wants for Father's Day 2017

I've received all sorts of gifts for Father's Day from Daddy O scrubbing pads to a rock painted by my children that say "Dad, You Rock". I have a drawer full of things my kids have made for me from oddly shaped paper ties to portraits that if they were yellow, I might resemble a Minion.

I struggled as a boy, trying to figure out what my dad would want for Father's Day. And every year, probably to his horror or amusement, I bought him a 5 ounce bottle of English Leather. It wasn't until I was older and I shared his bathroom with him that I discovered, under the sink bottles twelve deep of the manly scent tucked under the sink like a doomsday prepper waiting for the scentpocalypse. He must have thought every time he opened one "What the hell am I going to do with this one?"

Dads come in all varieties from the working dad to the stay at home dad but there is one common thread we all have, we want cool stuff. Heck, I'd take Green Bay Packer toilet paper as a sign that my kids really understood me. So if you're stuck, here is a list of things dads would actually want for Father's Day.

Nintendo Switch - $299

Believe it or not, you aren't the only ones that like to have screen time and video games are the perfect way to blow off some steam and have some fun all at the same time. And with a game like Breath of the Wild Zelda bringing back our iconic partnership with Link that began when we were just kids.

Nintendo now has ARMS from the team behind the hit game Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Choose a unique fighting champion, equip your own combination of extendable arms and then battle it out with friends and family! Using a mix of button presses and quick hand motions, ARMS allows you to throw tactical punches or avoid incoming attacks. Unleash your inner fighter in this unbelievable sporting event!

Motorola Moto Z Force with Moto Mods - $720

This is by far the coolest phone I have owned and it makes me feel like James Bond (moment of silence for Sir Roger Moore please) with all the attachments that come with it your dad will feel like a spy too. Available at Verizon, the Motorola MotoZForce has Moto Mods that expand its capability beyond just a smartphone. The JBL speaker Moto Mod, turns your phone into a portable sound system, the Hasselblad Moto Mod turns it into a high functioning camera, and the Moto InstaShare Projector lets you share all your content without needing to connect to another device.

Canary - Home Monitoring System - $169 There isn't anything more gratifying as a dad knowing that you're doing everything you can to keep your family safe. With the Canary, it connects to your home Wi-Fi system and provides a real-time look at what is happening at home when you can't be there. The Canary will send notifications when you are away of any activity it senses 180 degrees in front of the camera. Watch live video from your smartphone when you receive a notification and you can sound an alarm if you don't recognize the intruder. The app will also allow you to immediately call 911 in case the intrusion is unwarranted. Keep track of the person feeding your pets as Canary records activity in video which can be archived.

JORD - Wood Watch - $295

We may like to wear cargo shorts most of the time or socks with sandals on the regular. But, for those times when we need to look respectable, we want to get noticed for all the right reasons. JORD Wood Watches are the accent pieces to a night out with your mother or a fancy soiree where we are wearing pants that don't have a drawstring. Made with a variety of wood grains and materials, there is a JORD watch for every style.

Navdy - Navigation System - $499 Yep, we are too proud to sometimes ask for directions and looking at our phone is going to be a dead giveaway that this country road with a dead end wasn't part of the "scenic tour" . With Navdy, we can keep our eyes on the road and play our questionably embarrassing music right from our phone in front of your friends. Better yet, we can control directions, respond to texts, and make phone calls with a simple gesture. What better way to set a good example for the tweens and teens learning how to drive than to show them that knowing what is up ahead and paying attention to the road are the most important aspects of driving safely.

Beautyrest Sleeptracker Monitor - $199 We don't know it yet, but this little gadget just may save our lives. Too many people have some sort of sleep disorder and it all stems from bad sleeping habits. We all know that without proper sleep, we aren't bright-eyed and bushy tailed in the morning. What was it that our own dads used to say? The early bird gets the worm? The Sleeptracker Monitor from Beautyrest keeps track of our sleep habits and coaches us towards a goal for better rest.

We know that you're pretty adept at the latest gadgets and gizmos of the time but when it comes to technology in the house don't you ever, EVER touch the thermostat! End the battle of hot and cold by getting dad a thermostat that learns what the family's patterns are all about. Nest looks out for you by sending safety alerts, filter reminders, and a heads up when the furnace is acting up before it becomes a problem. Use Nest for a week and it will actually program itself. When your system is running efficiently, Nest will award you with a leaf to let you know that you're saving energy and money. There's literally nothing dads love more than saving money.

The tough thing about taking great photographs is to do with all of those old pictures of you and your dad that turn out so well? Retroviewer is the answer. He probably had one of these when he was a kid and it probably cost a nickel. Now, you can bring back a little nostalgia and when he's done viewing old pics of you two together, he can complain about getting something in his eye. Build your own reel that he can view over and over again. Then he can regale you with stories about seeing his first "moving pictures" when he snuck into a theater with the other newsboys.

Tile - $70 - Mate and Slim Combo Pack

Always losing your keys and wallet? I am. But since I've had a Tile Slim and Tile Mate, I don't have to worry about that anymore. I attach the Mate to my keys and the Slim stays in my wallet. If I can't find either, I use an app on my phone that locates it via GPS tracking and I retrace my steps until I find it. Can't see very well? All Tiles emit a very loud sound to help you discover its location even if it is inside a pants pocket or inside a zipped bag. The cool thing is if you have the reverse problem and you lose your phone, you can depress the "E" on the Tile and it will ring your phone even when it is on silent! With Tile, I can't lose anything. Now if only they made one for my mind!

Samsung NX300 DSLR Mirrorless Camera - $400

Everywhere I go, people ask me about this camera. Probably because they have never seen a white camera before so it is unique, but the Samsung NX300 is a camera I was sold on from the very first picture I took. The speed is amazing and it shoots under low light better than any other camera I have owned. It's so small and lightweight, I can put it in my cargo pants pocket and when I am on vacation, I don't need a huge outfit to get excellent quality pictures. The 20.3 megapixel camera gives you amazing detail and it captures with ease. Built in functionality with your smartphone can sync images directly using its own Wi-Fi to transfer. It makes it much easier to share on social media and back photos up with Google Photos without worrying about losing images. With Samsung phasing out their digital photography division, you can probably find this at a better deal. My only suggestion would be to not take it to the beach, where sand gummed up my shutter release button. Below are some images I took with the camera.

Disclaimer: I use and enjoy all of these products. Only the Nest was supplied to me for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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